A Life After Bad Wolf Bay
by PuppiesOnATARDIS
Summary: Rose and 10.5 adjusting to life after being dropped off at Bad Wolf Bay. Rated M for safety for later chapters.
1. New Beginnings

Rose stood motionless, staring at the empty space where the TARDIS was only minutes before, unsure if it had been five minutes or five hours. The cold wind whipped through her sending an icy chill down her spine. At that moment, she was acutely aware that _he_ was standing only a few feet behind her, waiting for her reaction, giving her the space she needed. Slowly, Rose turned to face him, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach as she took him in.

He stood there, looking exactly as she remembered him. He was still just as thin and tall as ever. His freckles stood out against his pale skin in the fading afternoon sunlight and his hair was blowing in the breeze making it even more unruly. It was his eyes though that made her breath hitch. His usually intense dark eyes held a note of sadness and disappointment and Rose suddenly felt guilty that she was probably the reason.

A slow reassuring smile crept across his face but did not reach his eyes. Rose smiled back shyly as he began to approach her.

"Rose…" he attempted in a gritty voice. He reached out and took her hand in his. His hand was warmer now, no longer the lower temperature of a Time Lord, but now that of a human. Rose did not pull away and he did not attempt to finish his sentence, unsure of what he would have said anyway.

They both stood there staring at their entwined hands until Jackie broke the silence, "It's flippin' freezing out here! We'd better get going, there's a bed and breakfast nearby that we can stay until the zepplin gets here in the mornin'."

Both Rose and the Doctor felt unusually grateful for Jackie's interruption at that moment; providing them with an excuse to leave things unsaid for the time being. Jackie turned and lead the way off the beach. Rose dropped her hand from the Doctor's grasp and followed her mother, the Doctor following a few feet behind.

Feet slipping on the sand, they made their way down the beach silently until they found the trail leading back to the main road. Before he left the beach for the last time, the Doctor stopped and took in the sight one last time, promising to commit it to memory and never return.

* * *

Thankfully, it was a short walk to the bed and breakfast. While Jackie checked them in, the Doctor and Rose stood by the fireplace and warmed their hands.

Rose finally broke the silence, "this is where we stayed the last time. It's weird being here again."

"Rose, I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry. I never meant to do this to you again. I never thought I would have the chance-" he broke off as Jackie approached.

"I'm knackered. I got 3 separate rooms on the same floor. Breakfast is served at 9am and checkout is at 11," she said as she passed them each a key, "You two can catch up, I'm going right to bed; but you better be up and ready in the morning!"

With that, Jackie turned and descended up the stairs to the second floor. Rose turned to the Doctor, "are you hungry? There's a chip shop just down the road."

"Chips! How could I pass up chips?" the Doctor exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face.

Rose returned the smile. It was hard not to be affected by the Doctor's enthusiasm, even when she was so confused.

Rose's head swam with all the events of the day. Davros and Daleks, the Doctor, the metacrisis Doctor, being left at Bad Wolf Bay. She was unsure of this new Doctor; he looked like her Doctor and talked like her Doctor; he shared all of their memories, yet, he was not the one that was there. Granted, his right hand was original to her Doctor's but what did that really mean? She was thankful that he remained quiet and gave her the space she so desparetly needed.

Once seated with their chips, the Doctor finally spoke up, "I always think about you when I eat chips. I can't eat them without remembering our first date." Rose smiled, encouraging him to continue, "Look, I know this is confusing. I know that you are unsure of me. But I am the Doctor, I am the same - Welllll, minus a heart and with some added Donna snarkiness, but I have all of our memories together and I meant what I said on the beach. I know this will take time and I don't want to pressure you. I want you to trust me but I will give you all the time and space you need."

Rose took her time chewing and swallowing the chip in her mouth, using the time to compose herself and plan her response. The Doctor began to fidget nervously and rub the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry," she began, "I just don't know what to think. I don't know how to feel. It's weird to miss you when you are right here but it's also hard to think of you as being him when I know he is still out there. I know he has Donna but…" The Doctor looked away guiltily at this, unable to bring himself to tell her.

"I know. I understand. Really, I do. We will work it out. We always have, yeah?" he questioned worriedly.

"Yeah," Rose agreed, smiling slightly to put him at ease.

They finished their dinner without much conversation and returned to the bed and breakfast. Once on the second floor, the Doctor and Rose stood in front of her room awkwardly.

"Well, I guess this is my room" Rose said lamely, "I'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

"Yes, of course, well, goodnight, Rose."

Rose opened the door and walked in. Once the door was closed she leaned against it and sighed. She knew it was going to be a long and sleepless night.

The Doctor's room was next to Rose's. He stood staring at the wall, knowing she was just on the other side of it and wishing he could be near her. He knew she needed the space and time to take in all that had happened.

With a sigh, he took off his blue suit jacket and crawled into bed, hoping that sleep would come but knowing it would be a long night.

* * *

As he expected, he tossed and turned. Dreaming of fire and destruction. Of people and things now lost to him. But mainly, he dreamt of Rose, loosing Rose over and over again and his two hearts breaking time and time again.

A light knock woke him from the nightmare. Groggy, it took him a minute to take in his surroundings and remember where he was. His single heart beat frantically in his chest. Taking a deep breath, he got up, determined to calm his nerves before opening the door.

Rose stood there, in the same clothes as earlier. "Are you ok? I heard noises, it sounded like you were having a nightmare." Her face was scrunched in concern, eyebrows knitted in worry.

"I-I'm fine" he stammered, "just the usual."

"Can I come in? I couldn't sleep myself," she explained.

"Sure, absolutely" he replied quickly, stepping back to let her through.

Rose walked in and looked around before sitting on the bed. The Doctor sat beside her, hands fidgeting in his lap.

"My room is the same" she started, "it's a nice place really and the people are very friendly."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Listen, Rose, really I'm fine. You should really get some rest."

"I can't sleep. I can't believe this is real. That you are really here. It just doesn't feel real. I'm afraid if I go to sleep, I'll wake up and find out it was all a dream" she admitted.

"Rose, I'm here. It's real. I'm not going anywhere. Ever. I promise." His tone was almost pleading, desperate for her to believe him.

Rose choked back a sob and flung her arms around his middle, burying her face in his chest. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek against her head, breathing in her scent and wishing they could stay like that forever.

Light streamed through the curtains, waking the Doctor up. Rose's head lay on his chest, her arm around his middle and his arm wrapped protectively around her.

He couldn't stop the smile from forming. _I'm here. I'm really here with Rose Tyler,_ he thought. He couldn't remember how they got that way or what time they fell asleep but he also couldn't remember a time when he was more content. Unwilling to wake her, he closed his eyes and focused on the way she felt in his arms, her smell, the rhythm of her breathing, and the beat of her heart memorizing anything and everything of that moment.

"Good morning," Rose whispered, startling him. He opened his eyes to see her watching him, smiling that smile that drives him mad, tongue poking out between her teeth. "I don't think I've ever seen you sleep before. It's cute."

His single heart raced and his face felt flushed. Flustered, he jumped off the bed, nearly falling on the ground in his haste. "Right, well, it's nearly time to head down to breakfast. Don't want to be late. Wouldn't want to make your mum mad on my first official day here!"

Rose could only giggle at his reaction.

**A/N: This is my first fanfic. I actually haven't written stories since I was a kid so I'm trying to increase my creativity through this! I have a few ideas for the next chapters and have already started the next one but please feel free to R&R and make suggestions! Thank you!**


	2. Zeppelins

After an uneventful breakfast, the Doctor, Rose, and Jackie made the trek to the zeppelin boarding area where Pete was waiting for them.

"Jax!" Pete nearly shouted in relief when he spotted her, "Thank goodness, I thought I might have lost you. Don't ever do that again!"

Jackie held back tears, unable to say anything, and rushed to Pete. The Doctor and Rose stood awkwardly, trying to avert their gaze as Jackie and Pete kissed. Finally, they broke apart and Pete turned to Rose, "I'm so glad you're ok. I was so worried about you and Tony missed you terribly."

After a quick hug and kiss on Rose's cheek, Pete stood before the Doctor just studying him as if trying to assess whether he was the same man. The Doctor stood still, waiting, a grin began to spread across Pete's face before he finally exclaimed, "Doctor, it's good to see you again! Been a long time!"

The Doctor returned the smile and shook Pete's hand, "It's nice to see you too, Pete. It seems you will be seeing more of me now. Hope that's ok."

"Of course! Please, you are family now. After all the times you've saved my family and the universes, I'm honored to have you in my home," Pete replied. "Anything you need, you just let me know."

The Doctor just smiled and shook his head. All the times he has saved the world and he is hardly ever thanked. Not that he needs to be, but he's not used to others being so generous and it makes him uneasy that he has to depend on others for once.

* * *

The zeppelin was smaller than the Doctor thought it would be. The walls felt like they were crashing in on him and he stopped dead in the middle of the aisle unable to take another step forward.

Rose looked back and noticed that the Doctor was stock still, a look of fear on his face, his eyes fixed straight ahead but not seeing. As she took a few steps toward him, she noticed that he was shaking slightly. Concerned, she placed a hand on his arm.

"Are you ok?" she said softly. Getting no response, she shook him lightly and took his hand into hers. "I'm here. I can help you. Please tell me what's wrong?"

The feel of her hand in his and her soothing voice broke the Doctor out of his reverie. He looked down and tried to smile at Rose who looked unconvinced. "I-uhh-" he cleared his throat and ran his free hand through his hair nervously making it stick out even more, "the zeppelin-it's uhh-it's-"

"It's ok. Never mind. Come on let's find our seats," she suggested sensing his embarrassment.

The Doctor was reminded of how well Rose could always read him and never pushed him. His single heart beat frantically in his chest and his hands shook. He felt hot, sweaty, and slightly breathless. It had been a long time since he had traveled by non-TARDIS air and he was caught off guard by his own response. Even still, he was not sure whether it was because unlike the TARDIS, the zeppelin was not bigger on the inside; or if the small space filled with strangers reminded him too much of the bus on the planet Midnight when he had almost been thrown out into an exotonic sun, unable to defend himself from the ruthless passengers.

Focusing on Rose's hand in his, the Doctor calmed down and allowed Rose to lead them to their seats. Rose held his hand and soothingly rubbed the back of his hand until the zeppelin was in the air and the Doctor no longer trembled beside her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry if I scared you. I don't know what came over me. The zeppelin just seemed so small all of a sudden," he explained embarrassed, unable to meet her eyes but feeling that he owed her at least a small explanation.

Her free hand reached up and cupped his face, turning it towards her so that he was looking at her. "S'ok. Really. It took me awhile to get used to zeppelin travel when I first got here. But you have me. I'm here. Just tell me what's goin' on, yeah?"

She squeezed his hand lightly and smiled reassuringly at him. He felt his heart flutter and a surge of appreciation washed over him. He knew at that moment that all he would ever need was Rose Tyler by his side.

* * *

Rose kept a close eye on the Doctor for the whole five hour flight and felt relieved when he finally relaxed enough to doze off, leaning his head on her shoulder.

Seeing his reaction to the zeppelin had scared Rose; she had never seen him so scared or vulnerable. While she was not sure what had brought about the panic, she knew him well enough to know not to push him when he did not explain. She could tell that he was embarrassed by his reaction and was not ready to tell her why he had reacted that way. Rose knew that when he was ready, he would tell her and until then, she would just be there for him and help him as best as she could.

His reaction had Rose worried about what he may have seen during their years apart and she wondered how much he had changed during that time. She also worried about how many other surprises lay ahead for them and couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be able to trust this man as much as she had her Doctor.

The doubts she had about the man currently next to her left her sad and confused. It was hard to just accept that he was the Doctor, _her Doctor,_ but looking at him it was hard not to.

In all the shock of everything that had happened, Rose had not had much time to really process it all. Now that it was wearing off, she was starting to feel guilty for having allowed her Doctor to leave her in another universe with essentially his clone.

Trying to decipher whether the man next to her was the Doctor or not left her feeling confused and distraught. She had watched him change every cell in his body and transform into a completely new man and she continued to love him so why was this any different? Was he really _her Doctor_? And would she come to love and trust him the same way?

Sighing, she rubbed her temples trying to drive away the headache that had formed. She stole a glance at the sleeping man next to her who had moved so that his head rested against the back of the seat and the corners of his mouth upturned slightly into a small smile. Rose couldn't help but smile too seeing him so relaxed and content. Closing her eyes, Rose drifted off to sleep.


	3. Coming Home ?

The Doctor woke from his nap feeling refreshed and also annoyed that his new human body needed to waste so much time sleeping. He couldn't help but wonder what other new things he would have to get used to now that he was human.

Scrubbing his face with his hands, he looked to his right and saw that Rose was still sleeping. Her brows were knitted together, her eyes flicked back and forth under her eyelids and a small frown pulled at her lips. The Doctor wondered what was concerning her so much but knew deep down that it was probably him and all that had happened in the last day.

He began to wonder whether she would really accept him as the Doctor or whether she would find it too difficult to deal with. Every time he thought about her rejecting him, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. He didn't think that he could handle being stuck on this Earth without Rose but knew that he would have to accept it if that was what she chose.

She had continued to love him after he had regenerated into a completely different man and had even loved his first old daft face; but would she be able to handle a human him, knowing that the full Time Lord him was flitting about another universe, having adventures while they were stuck on one planet at one time? The Doctor couldn't help but worry that she might only ever think of him as a cheap copy of the original and never return his affections.

A voice over the speaker announcing that they would be landing in 20 minutes cut through his thoughts.

"Rose?" he whispered, placing his hand on her shoulder and gently shaking, "we're going to be landing soon."

Rose opened her eyes and groaned, rubbing her hands over her face and through her hair to try and flatten it. She looked up at the Doctor and smiled, "how was your nap?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes in exasperation, "I can't believe I slept for two hours, 27 minutes, and 6 seconds after sleeping last night! You humans practically sleep away your life! How do you lot ever get anything done?"

At his outburst, Rose laughed and smacked his arm, "hey, you better get used to it now that you're human too!"

"Oi! I am only _half_ human," he amended, faking a look of annoyance, "and anyway, you better get ready, we should be landing in a few minutes."

* * *

Once they had left the zeppelin, a Torchwood issued car was waiting to pick them up and drive them home. At the mention of "home" the Doctor felt uneasy, not sure where home was or how long he would be welcome. While Pete and Jackie greeted the driver, he stared quietly at his trainers and kicked at a rock on the pavement. When he looked up at Rose she seemed to read his mind.

"My parents own a mansion, not the one Pete lived in with the other Jackie but just as big. There are plenty of rooms so we can go there for a while until we sort things out," she offered.

"Are you sure I won't be in the way? I can find something else-"

"No, really, after all you've done for us and the universes, we can't just leave you on your own," Rose interrupted.

The Doctor wasn't sure how to respond to that so he chose to change the topic back, "so you live at the mansion then?"

"I have my own flat in the city but it's small and I didn't spend much time there so I think it would be better to stay at the mansion for awhile," she answered.

At that moment, Jackie walked over and interrupted them, "we're going to stop at the shopping center before we go home so that we can get you some things, Doctor."

"Oh, no. No, I don't need anything. I have my suit," he said, shaking his head and backing up. The thought of shopping with Jackie was just too much for him.

"Doctor, you can't have just one suit. You need other clothes now and toiletries," Rose countered.

"But I like this suit and I've never needed more than one suit before!" he protested. "Plus, I don't have money yet and I'm not starting my first day here in debt to your mum!"

At that, Jackie rolled her eyes, "You daft alien! We're rich now, money doesn't matter to us. And now you're here and you're like family and we take care of family; so we're going to the store and buying you what you need whether you like it or not," she insisted.

Seeing that he was never going to win, the Doctor just nodded and got into the car quietly, knowing that he would need to learn to pick his battles carefully.

* * *

Shopping with two women turned out to be exactly as the Doctor thought it would - tortuous. Every time he turned around, one of them would be holding up a new item of clothing and ordering him to try it on. Not only did they want him to try things on, but they wanted him to come out and model it for them like he was a child. It was almost too much for him to take and he soon tried to slip away while their backs were turned and return to the car. Unfortunately, they knew him well enough not to turn their backs for more than a second or two.

Finally, after buying a ridiculous amount of what he felt was unnecessary clothing, they left the store and continued on their way home. He had no clue what they chose to buy him and frankly did not care. The Doctor was never so relieved in his life as he was when they finally left.

* * *

Shopping for clothes for the Doctor was easier than Rose had expected. While he was not too happy about having to try on clothes, he cooperated well, or at least well for the Doctor who was always trying to wander off and look for trouble.

Rose was surprised at how good he looked in clothes other than suits. He was so lean that almost anything he put on looked good but it had come as a surprise to see how good he looked in everyday clothes. When he had come out in jeans and a button-up shirt, Rose had to stop herself from running over and snogging him right there in the middle of the store.

She had reasoned with herself that no matter how good he looked in his new clothes, they needed time to figure things out and get to know each other again before they did anything like that again. Plus, she couldn't help but worry that he may change his mind at any minute and leave her and she knew she could not handle that if they went much further.

In the end, they got him several pairs of jeans, t-shirts, jumpers, button-up shirts, dress slacks, pajamas, and underwear; not that she expected he noticed.

* * *

After what seemed an eternity, the group finally made it to the mansion. The Doctor was surprised at how big it was and estimated that it was even bigger than the first Tyler mansion. This one was a large 3 story with pillars in the front. The driveway looped around the front, a garden placed in the middle. The house sat on 40 acres of beautiful sprawling land, scattered with gardens, a large swimming pool, and a children's playscape. Even the Doctor couldn't help but be impressed.

The inside was just as impressive with high vaulted ceilings and large open rooms. Floor to ceiling windows let in lots of light. The floors in the entryway were marble but were hardwood everywhere else. Each room was decorated in a different theme, but each was tastefully done and maximized the rooms potential.

"Did the decoratin' myself," Jackie said proudly.

"Oh, well, it's... nice," the Doctor replied, trying not to seem overly impressed, lest she think he actually noticed such a thing.

Suddenly, a blaze of yellow hair blew past him and lept into Jackie's unsuspecting arms. "Mum!" the young boy shouted, "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, sweetheart," Jackie choked out holding back tears and hugging her little boy tightly.

Once he was back on the ground, he turned to Rose and lept into her arms. After they had exchanged their greeting, Rose finally introduced the Doctor. "Tony, this is uhh-" she faltered looking back at the Doctor, unsure of what she should call him and whether she could actually say the words.

"Hi Tony, I'm the Doctor," he cut in, "it's nice to finally meet you."

Tony's mouth dropped open and he looked from the Doctor to Rose and back again his brown eyes wide. "It's him?" He asked.

"Umm, yeah, sort of," Rose replied uncertainly.

Tony opened his mouth to ask more questions but was diverted by Jackie. Both the Doctor and Rose sighed in relief thankful that Jackie had such impeccable timing.

Rose turned to the Doctor who was now standing in his usual position, his legs spread apart with hands shoved deep inside his pockets. He was pretending to be fascinated with a nearby vase.

"I'm sorry," she stated simply.

"It's ok. I understand," he replied. He knew what she was referring to without an explanation.

"You're going to need a name now that you're here," she added, "for paperwork and things."

"Yeah, I guess so," he scrunched up his nose to indicate his disgust. "You lot and your obsession with names."

Rose ignored his obvious display of disgust, "have you thought of any?"  
"How about John Smith? I've always liked John Smith, common, simple, doesn't attract too much attention."

Now it was Rose's turn to scrunch her nose in dislike, "but it's too common. What about something else?"

"Like what?"

"Umm... What about David?"

"Uh, yuck! No!"

"Ok, how about Alan?" she suggested.

"Nope! No way."

"Well then, what do you like?"

The Doctor thought for a minute, tongue curled up behind his teeth, hand rubbing his face. Finally, a wide grin broke out and he said deviously, "I've always quite liked Casanova."

Rose rolled her eyes and stifled a giggle, "ok, ok. Let's just forget about it for now, _Casanova_."

**A/N: I hope you like what's happened so far. I have a few more ideas for new chapters but I would LOVE if you could review and leave me some comments and suggestions. Constructive criticism is highly welcomed!**


	4. Frustrations

Rose led the Doctor to his room and helped him deposit the bags of new clothes on the bed. He couldn't help himself when they first walked in, "Oh no, carpets and windows!" he complained.

"Well at least you don't have a mortgage... yet," she joked.

The Doctor looked horrified at the thought. The room was pretty large but the four walls made the Doctor feel confined. He wondered how he was going to be able to live in such small quarters and whether he would ever get used to it. He felt his heart begin to pick up speed and knew he had better change the subject and distract himself before he lost control again.

He cleared his throat, "speaking of mortgages, I'm going to need a job."

"Well that's an easy one. You can work for Torchwood. We could really use your experience."

"Torchwood!?" He shrieked, "have you gone mad?"

"It's not like that. It's really not the same and we need you. You could make it so much better and isn't it better to do that from the inside?" she pressed.

The Doctor grumbled something under his breath, inauditable to Rose. "Maybe. We'll see," he conceded.

* * *

Thankfully, there was no more discussion regarding a name, joining Torchwood, or getting a mortgage the rest of the evening. Dinner discussions were minimal besides for the constant chatter of three year old Tony Tyler. It seemed as though no one was sure of what to say yet or how much to pry into the events of the last few years. The Doctor thought it was for the best as they were all still getting used to the idea of him living there and the confusion of his identity.

As he feared, the Doctor was unable to sleep that night, which was in some ways, preferable to him. While he felt that sleeping was a waste, he also wished it would come so that he would be relieved of his constant thinking. It seemed as though his brain was running incessantly with questions and feelings and _what ifs_.

Several times, the Doctor got up and paced the room, occasionally walking to the door and nearly throwing it open to run down the hall and wake up Rose. Each time, he stopped himself before his hand touched the doorknob. He knew she needed to sleep and imagined that she might not be happy being woken up in the middle of the night. At the same time, he was slightly disappointed that she was able to sleep so easily. He had half hoped she would have problems sleeping again and come into his room during the night.

He couldn't get the image of her sleeping beside him in his arms from the night before out of his mind. He wanted nothing more than to hold her. Even with all his worries, doubts, and concerns about their future, when his arms were around her, nothing mattered and everything seemed as it should be.

Frustrated, he decided that he needed something to focus his attention on before he drove himself crazy so he began drawing up plans and ideas for building a new sonic screwdriver. He knew it would be hard to find some of the various metals and energy sources he would need but figured that he could poke around Torchwood a bit and see what he could find. Not having the sonic screwdriver was just another frustration and disappointment but was also one of the things he could probably best control. At least he would eliminate this problem and then he could focus on the rest later.

* * *

Rose tossed and turned but sleep did not come. She laid in bed thinking and listening to the sounds of the house. She could hear the Doctor pacing in his room next to hers. Each time she heard him go to the door, she held her breath both hoping he did and didn't come to her. She would never be able to turn him away but she also wasn't sure she could handle another night being so close to him. She really needed the time to think things through and sort out her thoughts and feelings toward this man who was both an old friend and a new one.

It wasn't easy for her either. She fought the urge to jump out of bed and race into his arms, throwing caution to the wind and not caring if he was the same man she loved or not and not caring if he would really stay or if he would eventually break her heart like _he_ had done.

In the end, she managed to control herself and stay in her own bed. Sometime in the wee hours of the night she finally fell asleep dreaming of _him_, the TARDIS, their adventures, and the life they might have had if he had not abdandoned her in an parallel world. When she woke in the morning, her cheeks and pillow were stained with tears.

* * *

Before Rose even entered the kitchen, she could hear the delighted shrieks and laughter of Tony. Entering the kitchen, she saw Tony and the Doctor seated at the island, the Doctor grinned and pulled a coin from Tony's ear and then made it disappear to Tony's delight. Rose's heart lept at the sight.

"I didn't know you knew how to do magic," Rose interrupted, giving him her trademark smile with the tip of her tongue poking through her teeth.

The Doctor turned and looked slightly embarrassed, "I know a few tricks, well, some, welllll, a lot really. Learned from the best, Harry Houdini. Brilliant man. Bit of a germophobe though," he rambled.

"You met Houdini?" Tony shrieked with excitement.

"I sure did. He stole some of my best tricks!" the Doctor huffed.

Rose rolled her eyes and laughed at his modesty. "Anyway, I have to go into work today to finish some paperwork. Do you want to stay here or come with me? I could show you around and introduce you to my team," Rose asked as she poured cereal into a bowl.

The Doctor grabbed the cereal box from her and dumped half of it in his bowl, before answering her. "I'll go," he stated, "could I take a look at some of the alien tech you've recovered? I'm working on a project and might need some things," he explained.

"You've been here one day and already you're working on a project?" Rose asked incredulously.

"Ye_p_," he replied, popping the p and smiling.

"And what is this project?" she inquired.

"It's a surprise," he said around a mouth full of cereal.

Rose narrowed her eyes suspiciously, trying to determine whether a Doctor surprise was a good thing or bad thing, "ok," she agreed reluctantly, "but you better be on your best behavior!"

"Oi!" he objected, "when am I ever-" he started but stopped, realizing it would be a lie if he continued.

"Exactly," Rose replied smugly. "Well, I'm going to finish getting ready and then we'll head out," she added as she left the kitchen.

She had to admit that she was both nervous and excited for the Doctor to see Torchwood and meet her team. She just hoped that he would be on his best behavior and not make too many rude observations like he sometimes tended to do.


	5. Torchwood

After breakfast, the Doctor had to promise little Tony Tyler that he would play with him later before going to finish getting ready. Within minutes he was dressed and back downstairs ready to go. He anxiously paced the entryway until Rose finally descended the elegant staircase, looking beautiful in jeans and a blouse, her hair pulled back away from her face. He looked up at her and grinned.

Rose reached the bottom of the stairs and looked the Doctor up and down, "really? All those clothes we bought you and you're going to wear the suit again?" she chastised.

"Oi! What's wrong with my suit. I like my suit," he replied indignantly

"Nothing. Never mind," she huffed, "let's just get going."

They walked outside into a beautiful Fall morning. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze. They walked over to an unmarked black car and Rose went to open the driver's door.

"Oh no. No way am I getting in if you're driving," the Doctor said, backing away slowly, "can you even drive? I've never seen you drive."

"Of course I can drive. And you never saw me drive because we never drove anywhere," Rose assured him.

"I'll drive," the Doctor declared, holding out his hands for the keys.

"You don't even know how to drive!" Rose exclaimed, gripping the keys tighter.

"I do too. I drove the TARDIS all the time. I think I can handle a simple 21st century car."

"You hardly drove the TARDIS correctly if my memory serves. 1879 Scotland, the Queen's coronation-"

"Oi! The TARDIS has a mind of her own. I can't help that she didn't always go where I wanted her to," he exclaimed defensively.

"Riiiight. Well you don't even have a driver's license yet so how 'bout I drive for now, yeah?" she said, getting in the driver's seat and effectively ending the debate.

Sighing, the Doctor got in the car and hoped he wouldn't regret it.

* * *

After several minutes of silence, the Doctor couldn't help looking at Rose and smiling.

"What?" she asked self-consciously.

"Nothing," he stated and turned away.

"Tell me," she prodded, adding softly, "please."

"I've missed you," he said simply.

"I've missed you too," Rose replied automatically. She glanced over at him and a shadow seemed to cross her face. She smiled quickly and returned her attention to the road.

* * *

After several more minutes, they finally reached Torchwood Tower. The Doctor stood before it, squinting up at it in the light and taking in the familiar building.

"Ready?" Rose asked.

"Of course," he lied.

They walked in and Rose flashed her badge at the security guard, "he's with me," she told the big man.

"Yes, Ms. Tyler," he replied, stepping aside to let them through.

They took the elevator to the basement. When they stepped out, it was into a small dingy room. The Doctor looked around, unimpressed, but followed her down a hall and through a door to a brightly lit lab.

"This is where we spend most of our day," she explained.

There were a couple of people hovered over a large metal looking thing and arguing over what it was.

"Hello," Rose called, "I'm back."

"Rose!" they exclaimed in unison, stepping away from the item and coming over to greet her.

"I have someone I'd like you all to meet. He's got a lot of experience with aliens so he'll be on our team now," she informed them, turning to introduce the Doctor, "this is-"

"The Doctor," he supplied quickly with his most winning grin.

"_The_ Doctor? As in _your _Doctor, Rose?" a woman with dark hair asked, mouth hanging open and staring from the Doctor to Rose.

"Yes," Rose answered, "sort of… long story. Anyway, This is Gwen Cooper," she explained, "and that is Owen Harper over there, and this is Dan Jones," she said indicating a man to her right.

"So you're an alien?" Dan asked gruffly.

"Yes, well, sort of," the Doctor answered.

"And why are we working with aliens now?" he demanded, turning to Rose.

"Because this is the Doctor and I trust him." It was the first time Rose had referred to him as the Doctor since they had been left on that beach. The Doctor felt a surge of happiness that she might finally be accepting him.

"Well, _martian,_ just don't get in the way," Dan growled. The Doctor finally looked at him, he was a few inches shorter than him but a bit buffer. He had blue eyes and red hair._ Ginger!_ the Doctor thought.

"I'm not a martian!" the Doctor replied indignantly, "why does everyone always think I'm a martian?" he muttered to himself.

"Whatever," Dan snapped. He turned to Rose, "come on, we have something you should see," he said taking her hand and trying to pull her along.

She pulled her hand from his grip and took a few steps back to stand next to the Doctor defensively, "No. We have a few things we need to get done; but first, I want to make it clear that you are all to listen to the Doctor and do as he says. He has many more years of experience in his area and is a great resource," she demanded.

Everyone except Dan nodded their agreement. Rose glared at Dan until he finally gave a small nod. Satisfied, Rose turned to the Doctor, grabbed his hand, and led him back towards the room with the elevator.

* * *

Frowning, the Doctor looked at Rose once they were in the elevator, the question clearly written on his face - what was that about?

Rose felt guilty but knew she needed to be honest, even if it hurt him. "He fancies me," she hedged, the Doctor kept quiet and just looked at her, urging her to continue, "we went on a few dates," she admitted.

It was like a punch to the gut, hearing that Rose had been with someone else. He knew he shouldn't be jealous, he had thought it would be impossible to see her again and he knew that he shouldn't fault her for trying to live her life after everything that had happened. But reason didn't matter, the Doctor still felt jealous, not that he would let her know or admit it to himself.

"Oh, well, I don't want to cause any problems between you two," he ground out, unable to meet her eyes. If she wanted to be with someone else, he was not going to stop her. Time Lords do not get jealous and they certainly do not beg.

Rose's mouth hung open, "it's not like that!" she snapped, "it was only a few dates and nothing happened. You were never supposed to come back. You told me to have a fantastic life. What was I supposed to do?"

Before either could say anything else, Rose's phone rang. She turned her back to him and answered it. When she hung up, she turned to face him but did not look at him, "Dad wants to see you now," she told him, pressing the button for the top floor.

The Doctor followed her out of the elevator and down the hall to Pete's office. When he stepped in, he was immediately impressed. The office was a huge corner office with floor to ceiling windows offering an unhindered view of the city and river.

"Doctor," Pete greeted, extending his hand.

"Pete," the Doctor replied curtly, shaking his hand, "so what brings me here?"

"Well, first, we need to establish your identity and back story. Then we can get the paperwork going for your employment here at Torchwood - assuming you are working here?"

"Right," the Doctor agreed, "back to this name business. Why can't I just be The Doctor? It's worked for me for all these years and on all these planets."

Pete sighed, "we don't have to call you by the name you choose, it's just for paper purposes. We'll still call you Doctor, right Rose?"

"Err - yeah," Rose agreed, unsure if she could bring herself to.

Her hesitation cut the Doctor and made him even more bitter. Fuming, he leaned against the window, arms crossed, staring blankly out at the city. Rose knew immediately what she had done and decided the best option was to dismiss herself for now and let them figure out the paperwork stuff on their own. The Doctor didn't even turn around or acknowledge Rose's departure.

Pete stood looking at the Doctor for a minute, confused about the tension that he felt between him and Rose a moment before, "is everything alright?" he asked concerned.

"Always," the Doctor lied. He dropped his arms and turned to face Pete, "I've used John Smith a lot in the past, no point in trying to learn a new alias," he said dismissively, trying to be done with this name business as soon as possible.

"Ok, and what is your back story?" Pete continued.

The Doctor thought a moment before deciding that it wouldn't matter because it would be a lie anyway. "Surprise me," he threw over his shoulder as he was walking out of the office.

He had to find Rose. He knew where she would be and he knew that there were so many things they needed to talk about and it could not wait anymore. He would not hedge around the issue any longer. He needed to know how she really felt and if she really wanted him around or not. He just hoped he wouldn't regret asking.

* * *

As he expected, Rose was in the lab looking at the strange object that had been fascinating the others earlier.

"It's a communication device," Gwen said.

"No, its a weapon," Dan argued.

"Rose…" he interrupted.

She turned and looked at him, all business she replied, "come take a look at-"

"Rose, I need you. Now," the Doctor all but hissed, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room.

Once in the outer room, they stopped and Rose looked at him, "what's the matter? What's so urgent?" she asked looking around nervously as if something dangerous would appear at any moment.

"We need to talk. It can't wait. I need to know. I can't keep wondering," he looked at her desperate, "d-d-do you even want me here?" he stammered.

Rose didn't even have to think, "of course I do," she assured him, "but do you want to be here?"

"I meant everything I said on that beach," he replied, taking a step towards her. His heart was racing and his hands shook slightly. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his chest, "I have one heart and one life. I want to spend it with you, if you want me," he whispered.

Rose could feel the single heartbeat beneath his chest. It caught her off guard, she had nearly forgotten that he no longer had two. She looked into his eyes which were filled with such longing that it made her want to cry. She held back tears and bit her lip, nodding her head slowly in agreement. She could feel him relax beneath her and release the breath he had been holding. Slowly, his hand came up to her face and he tilted her chin up towards him as he began leaning down to her. He placed a featherlite kiss on her lips and pulled back slowly. Rose licked her lips and tasted him, savoring it, wishing for more but not wanting to move too quickly.

He smiled slowly and deviously, "well then, let's go have a look at this alien - _thingy_," he suggested, taking her hand again and leading her back to the lab.


	6. Realizations

Rose allowed the Doctor to pull her back into the lab where her team was still assembled, arguing over what the alien _thingy_ was. The Doctor dropped her hand and walked up, the team stepping back to make room for him. As he began bending down to get a closer look, his hand slipped into his inside jacket pocket and pulled something out. He swiftly put on the familiar brainy glasses. Rose's heart lept at the sight and she couldn't hold back her signature tongue-between-the-teeth smile. It was such a simple thing, the glasses; but their presence was comforting. Truth be told, they were also extremely sexy and this thought sent a blush sweeping across her face and neck.

Trying to change the train of her thoughts before she turned any more red, Rose stepped up to the Doctor's side and began studying the object once more. It had been found the week before in a field outside of London. A call had come in that someone had seen something streak through the sky and land in the field. When the team had arrived, the object was the only thing in the field and had been embedded in the middle of a large crater.

The object was quite large and rectangular with rounded corners, about the size of a large dog and was made of some sort of dark, shiny metal. They had been unable to penetrate the metal with any of their xrays and lasers and had been arguing about the nature of it ever since.

The Doctor sighed and Rose looked at him. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and he ran his hand through his hair making it stand up. Rose could tell he was agravated.

"Have you done any scans and tests on this?" he asked finally, straightening up and turning to Rose.

"Yeah, we've tried xrays and various lasers, particle and energy readers, and poked and prodded it quite a bit with no luck," Rose explained.

"Could I see the readouts? Maybe they'd help, they might at least rule some things out," he said, shrugging in near defeat.

Rose gathered the large stack of readouts and handed them to him. He quickly began flipping through page after page at a rate that would be impossible for humans to read at.

"I've never seen anything like this before," he complained after several minutes of studying the readouts, "if I had my sonic screwdriver, I'd be able to get some proper scans on it," he whined looking helplessly at Rose.

She could see the disappointment and longing in his eyes and at that moment grieved for all his losses. He had lost so much, his home planet and his family and friends; and had now lost even more, his universe, the TARDIS, his sonic screwdriver, and even his Time Lord physiology. He had been left here with no choice and with nothing. Rose couldn't help feeling guilty for being so selfish that she hadn't even thought about his losses until this point. She had been so focused on her loss of the original Doctor that she hadn't stopped to think about the one right here who had lost so much too without any say and without any complaints. She knew then that he was just like _her_ Doctor who kept his feelings bottled up and never complained, never wanting her to worry. She also knew at that moment that while they still had things to figure out, they would be fine because he was _The Doctor_ and she would do anything for him.

She was not going to let this Doctor suffer alone. Ever. Slipping her hand into his, she gave it a reassuring squeeze, "I know. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she comforted him, stroking her thumb over his knuckles. He looked down at her and smiled appreciatively.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly. The Doctor was given the full tour of Torchwood and met all of the employees. It seemed that everyone who worked there already knew who he was and were excited to finally meet the man who had saved them from the Cyberman and the end of the world.

The Doctor was both flattered and embarrassed by all of the attention he received. He had not gotten used to being thanked. He had never done what he had for the glory but only because he knew he was the only one who could and it was the right thing to do.

By the end of the day, he was more than ready to go back to the Tyler Mansion. Plus, when Rose hadn't been looking, he had snagged a couple of objects from the alien tech room that he thought he might be able to use for his sonic screwdriver and was eager to get them home for inspection.

On the ride home, he and Rose chatted about Torchwood and the people he had met that day until Rose finally got up the courage bring up the glasses which she worried might stir up some bad memories for him, "so, you've still got the glasses, yeah?" she asked tentatively.

"Ye_p_," he said popping the p and grinning at her. So much for memories, she thought.

"Did you steal them?" she couldn't help asking.

"Course not. And would it really be stealing? I mean, they were mine. _His_," he corrected. "Whatever. But anyway, no. I keep an extra set in all my suits just in case," he explained.

"Oh," Rose replied unsure of how to respond. Turning back to the road and avoiding looking at him she added, "I'm glad. I would have missed them."

The Doctor sat in the passenger seat grinning like a fool all the way back to the mansion.

**A/N: I just wanted to say a big thank you to all those that have been reading! I can't even believe so many have read it. I've never had people read my work before so it's a bit mind blowing. Anyway, if you could just take a second and leave a review it would be very much appreciated! **


	7. Run!

As promised, the Doctor spent most of the evening with Tony, teaching him magic tricks and telling him stories about places and people he had met. Rose loved to watch them together and marveled at how natural the Doctor was with children. She tried not to think too much about why that may be, because it left her aching for him and the family he had lost.

"So how are things with his Lordship?" Jackie interrupted Rose's thoughts, causing her to jump as she spun around.

"Err… good. Fine. It's been fine," she stammered.

Jackie cocked an eyebrow at Rose, unconvinced, "I know it must be hard. I remember what it was like with Pete when we came here. It'll take time, Sweetheart," she said sympathetically, laying a hand on Rose's arm.

"I know," Rose sighed, "it's just all so confusing. Him being the Doctor but the Doctor also being somewhere else, _with_ someone else, travelling," she added bitterly.

"Oh, Rose, but the Doctor_ is_ here. This _is_ the Doctor. He may only have one heart but it's still him. He's the Doctor in all the ways that matter. He has all of your memories together and he still loves you. This man can give you what the other one never could… a life together. A _real_ life together," Jackie persuaded.

"I know, mum. But I can't just forget _him_. I still love him. And I'm _trying_. I really am. I care for this one too and I don't want to hurt him; but I don't want to rush things either," Rose insisted, "besides, how do I know that he's going to stay? How do I know that he won't get bored and leave? He might decide that I'm not enough anymore and I don't think I could handle that if he left again. I can't take that chance. Not yet."

"Sweetheart, you know that I've always worried about you travellin' with that plum; but I trust him. I trusted him all those years ago when he promised me that he would take care of you and I trust him now," Jackie stated before adding hastily, "but don't go telling his Lordship that I said that. Don't want his head gettin' any bigger."

Rose couldn't help but laugh. Even though Jackie liked to tease the Doctor, she knew her mum cared for him deeply. They had always had an interesting relationship built on a mutual respect for the other, which they kept hidden under a false exterior of repulsion. She also knew that her mum would never have admitted such a thing to her lightly.

"Thanks, mum," Rose said giving Jackie a hug.

* * *

Once everyone else was asleep and the Doctor was back in the privacy of his own room, he pulled out the items he had taken from Torchwood and began inspecting them. He couldn't wait to get going on building a new sonic screwdriver. It had surprised him how lost he felt without it.

After only a short time, there was a frantic knock on his door and before he could respond, it was thrown open. Rose stepped inside and scanned the room, eyes landing on him, sprawled on the floor, bits and pieces of various things scattered all around him. He was wearing his glasses and holding a piece of paper in one hand and some metal bit in the other.

"What're you doin'?" she asked before shaking her head and continuing quickly, "nevermind. I just got a call from Torchwood. They need us. _Now_."

The Doctor jumped up, dropping the things he had been holding and rushed towards the door. "Well then, allons-y!" he nearly shouted as he grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her down the hallway.

* * *

Once they were in the car with Rose driving, she couldn't hold back her curiosity any more, "so what were you doing?" she asked

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all," he replied evasively.

"Didn't look like nothin'," Rose argued, "and where did you get all that stuff?"

The Doctor looked guilty and shrugged before sheepishly admitting "I took it from Torchwood when you weren't looking." Rose turned and glared at him. "I didn't take anything important. Torchwood won't miss any of it. I'm working on something and I needed the parts. I didn't think you'd mind. I could try and replace some of it. Might be hard though," he rambled before she cut him off.

"Forget it. It's ok. But next time, you could just tell me. I could'a helped you if I'd known," she pointed out.

The Doctor nodded in agreement, glad that Rose wasn't mad. "Anyway, what do we know about this call?" he asked, changing the subject and hoping that Rose wouldn't press him to explain what he was planning.

"Someone called in sayin' they saw something in their backyard. Said it was big and had reddish brown fur. Guess it nearly ate their dog."

"Ahh. So why were we called? It might have just been a bear or something."

"Could be. But people've been worried ever since the Cybermen and the stars going out. There's been a lot of activity for Torchwood to investigate, not all of it's been alien," Rose explained.

"I see," the Doctor replied lamely.

It was at that moment that they reached the house in question. A black Torchwood SUV was already parked in the driveway and the team was pulling gear from the rear doors. Rose and the Doctor got out quickly and made their way to the SUV.

A man with short, spiky blonde hair turned around as they approached. "Jake!" the Doctor exclaimed, smiling at the familiar face.

"Doctor, it's good to see you again," Jake replied, shaking the Doctor's hand, "I'd heard you were back. I was out on a field mission and just got back myself," he explained.

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by an irritated Dan, "now's not the time for catching up," he snapped, "we got work to do. Gear up and let's go," he demanded handing a vest and ear piece to the Doctor who stepped back, raising his hands in the air defensively.

"I don't do earpieces or vests," he avowed.

"You do now," Dan insisted, holding the objects back out to him again.

"Or guns," the Doctor sneered, eyeing the gun holstered on Dan's hip.

Rose cut in, begging, "please, just take the vest and ear piece."

"No."

"Please. You don't know what's out there. It's better just to be safe," she pleaded.

"I've never needed them before. I don't need them now," he replied adamantly.

"But you had two hearts and could regenerate before," Rose blurted without thinking. The Doctor was taken aback by her bluntness, his eyebrows shot up towards his hairline and his mouth hung open in shock. Rose felt guilty for having brought up his mortality, "Please, I don't want something to happen to you. I couldn't live if something did," she confessed, reaching for his hand and pulling it to her chest.

The Doctor just looked at her for a few seconds before softening, "Ok, but just the vest. No ear pieces and no guns," he compromised.

Rose knew it was pointless to argue and nodded in agreement. He dropped her hand and began pulling the vest on.

"Right," Dan spoke up, "I think we should split up into groups. Gwen, you go with Ianto. Jake, you go with the Doctor and I'll go with Rose."

"No. No way," the Doctor immediately protested, "Rose is coming with me."

"Sorry, _martian_, but I don't even know you. I am _not_ trusting you with her life," Dan barked.

"And I don't know _you_," the Doctor snarled, "I promised her mum I would always protect her and that's what I'm going to do. She's coming with me."

Dan's face was red with fury and his hands balled into a fist; but before he could do anything, Rose put an end to the discussion, "I'm going with the Doctor," she stated, taking his hand and dragging him away before anything happened. She knew that Dan would be furious and that her decision may lead to more problems between him and the Doctor, but at that moment, she didn't care. She was with the one person she wanted to be with in such a situation.

* * *

The Doctor shook with anger. Had Rose not cut in when she had, there was no telling what would have happened. He would never trust her to anyone now that he was here and Dan was obviously going to be a problem. Admittedly, Rose choosing him had felt good. Hopefully, that was a sign that she was beginning to trust him again.

Before he could dwell on the meaning for too long, they were rounding the corner of the house into the backyard. Rose stopped dead in her tracks and the Doctor nearly plowed into her. Looking around, he spotted what it was that had made her stop so suddenly. In the corner of the yard was a large creature about the size of a large bear; but definitely _not_ a bear. It's fur was reddish brown in color and it had large pointy ears and stood on two legs. Spotting them, it growled, displaying a full mouth of large, sharp teeth.

Rose pulled a gun from her hip, and at the look of disgust evident on the Doctor's face, quickly assured him, "S'not a gun. It'll only stun it so we can catch it and get it back to Torchwood."

"And what do you do with it once it's at Torchwood? Study it and dissect it?" he hissed back.

Rose looked at him aghast, "Course not! I told you, we're not the same here. We catch it and try to help it get back to wherever it came from once we figure out what it is."

"Right," he muttered, feeling bad for having accused her of such behavior after everything they had seen and done together.

Deciding that they had more important things to think about at the moment, they dropped the conversation and started moving slowly towards the creature, trying to get close enough to stun it. They could see Jake and Dan moving around the other side of the house, unknown to the creature.

"Let's try and distract it so they can get close enough," the Doctor suggested.

Rose nodded her agreement and they continued moving slowly, distracting it from their approaching team members. The creature continued to growl at them, its eyes seemed to flash in warning as it took a few steps toward them.

"Careful, careful," the Doctor warned, holding his arm in front of Rose. At that moment, the creature lunged towards them, running full speed. The Doctor swiftly turned to Rose, grabbed her hand, and yelled, "RUN!"


	8. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**A/N: Sorry if this is a bit angsty, but I just feel that it would take time for them to work things out. The next chapter should be a bit more fluff though! Anyway, thanks to all who are following or have added it to their favorites! Please, please, PLEASE leave me a quick review and let me know how you think this is turning out! **

* * *

The Doctor pulled Rose along the treeline of the backyard before darting into the woods. The creature was fast on their heels. Hands clasped, they ran as hard as they could. Rose couldn't help but notice how natural it all felt. Her hand in his, running for their lives, being chased by some alien creature. After a few moments, they burst through the trees and onto a road. They had pulled away from the creature at some point and now stopped to survey the street. There was nothing but houses and cars so the Doctor pulled Rose behind the nearest car.

He slid down the side of the car to land roughly on the ground, back against the car, panting heavily. He turned to look at Rose, and once satisfied that she appeared unharmed, broke out in a huge grin. He just sat there, beaming at her in the way that he always used to. She didn't even have to ask why; she felt the same way and returned the smile.

"Just... like… old times," he gasped through breaths. Rose nodded her agreement, unable to speak just yet.

Rose could hear the creature come through the trees, still growling. The Doctor turned and crouched so that he could peer over the hood of the car. He held up a long, slender finger to his lips, indicating that Rose remain quiet. She could hear the sound of the creature's nails against the pavement, making its way towards where they hid. The Doctor sat back down beside Rose and pulled her into his arms so that her head rested against his chest. She could hear the single frantic beat of his heart and closed her eyes, focusing on the sound and the feel of him shielding her. The creature snorted from somewhere close by and continued to make its way across the road. Finally, she heard the sound of leaves rustling and the Doctor eased his tight hold on her.

Looking up at him, she asked, confused, "what happened? Where'd it go?"

"I guess it didn't see us. It just walked right past and into the woods over there," he said pointing across the road to more trees. "We'd better get back to the others so we can figure out what to do next."

He stood up and offered his hand to her, she took it and he helped her to her feet. They brushed themselves off and started heading down the street quickly and quietly.

* * *

When they got back to the others, Dan rushed over and grabbed Rose by the arms, holding her at arms length and looking her over for injuries. Once he was satisfied that she was unharmed, he drew her into a tight hug. The Doctor felt anger and jealousy boiling up inside him; but he clenched his jaw and forced himself to remain still and quiet.

Dan pulled back and looked at her, "You could have been hurt," he said softly. Then suddenly, he dropped his arms back to his sides, hands balled into fists and turned to the Doctor. His eyes narrowed as he snapped, "She could have been killed!"

The Doctor didn't answer. Dan took a few steps towards him, "If one hair on her head had been harmed, I'd have-" he threatened.

The Doctor closed the remaining distance. Looking down at Dan, he snarled, "you'd have done what?"

Rose looked at the both of them, horrified. The Doctor's face was like stone, his eyes blazed with rage, and his hands shook slightly from the effort of holding back. This was not a side of the Doctor that she was used to seeing and she was immediately reminded of the Oncoming Storm.

Before either could make another move, Rose was at the Doctor's side, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. He attempted to remain rooted to the spot, but was pulled off balance by Rose's force and stumbled back. She tugged at him again and in a near whisper pleaded, "Please, let's just go."

Silently, he turned and let Rose drag him back to the car.

* * *

Angrily, Dan ripped his vest and earpiece off, tossing them into the back of the SUV. "Get in," he ordered the others as he jumped into the driver's side, slamming the door closed.

Within minutes, they were racing back to Torchwood Tower. Dan was still shaking from anger. How dare that alien stroll in and start calling the shots he thought. What could Rose possibly see in him anyway? She was the Vitex heiress and could have any bloke she wanted and she was with some skinny _alien_?

While Dan had heard all the stories about the Doctor before the dimension cannon was built, he never believed that Rose would get back to him. He had been patient with her while she grieved for the loss of him, hoping that one day she would move on and he would get his chance. Now that the Doctor was here, he knew that things were going to be harder, but he was not going to let that stop him. He was never going to trust some copy of an alien with the life of the woman he wanted. He was going to fight for her. And he would do whatever it took.

* * *

Rose drove her and the Doctor back to the Tyler Mansion in silence. She still couldn't believe what had happened, or almost happened, and wasn't sure what to say just yet.

As they began walking up the path to the house, the Doctor grabbed her arm and stopped her, turning her to look at him.

"What was all that about?" he asked gruffly.

"What was _what_? Shouldn't _I_ be asking _you_ that?" she countered.

"With Dan. I thought you said you only went on a couple of dates. Nothing serious." His eyes were narrowed in suspicion and Rose didn't like the way he looked at her as if he didn't believe her.

"I told you. We did. Nothing happened."

"Sure didn't look that way. If something happened or if you just don't want me, just be honest. I know _he_ was asking a lot of you to tell you to look after me, but you don't have to. If you'd rather, I could go and leave you to get back to your life. I don't need someone to care for me and certainly not if it's only out of guilt or pity," he began raving.

"Why won't you just believe me? After everything we've been through and you don't trust me when I say nothing happened... And I'm not with you out of guilt or pity; but if this is all really because you're not sure about me or this life, and you want to go, then just go. If you don't think you can handle a normal life then go now. _Please_." Tears were streaming down her face as she looked into the angry face of the man she loved. _Loves_.

"This isn't about me not being able to handle a normal life. This is about you being too close with a certain _ginger!_" he cried, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation, "and about the fact that you can't even look at me without looking sad. Without looking disappointed." Rose opened her mouth to deny his claims; but he continued ranting, "You look at me like I'm the ghost of a dead man. You miss _him_ and grieve for the loss of him; but I'm right here! I am r_ight_ here! How can you miss someone who is right in front of you?!"

Rose stood motionless, staring at the man before her. "I'm sorry," was all she could say.

"I can't stay if you're never going to accept me. If you're always going to think of _him_ when you look at me. I _am_ him. I can't handle being treated as some inferior copy," his voice cracked, "I have one heart, Rose, and you have it. You always have and you always will. But I can't do this if you can't see that."

Taking Rose's silence as her answer, a single tear rolled down his face as he turned away and started walking down the driveway.

"Wait! Doctor, please, wait!" she shrieked as she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck and sobbing.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly. A lump formed in his throat as he realized it was the first time she had called him Doctor since they got here. Why did they have to keep doing this? All he wanted was to be with Rose Tyler; but it seemed that they kept taking one step forward only to take two steps back. She had just taken another step, so what did that mean for them now?


	9. Being Human

**A/N: This one is a bit shorter than I've been writing but I know it's been a couple of days so I figured I'd at least give you this to hold you over! **

**A HUGE thank you to all who are following/favoriting and ESPECIALLY to those who have reviewed it!**

* * *

The Doctor stepped out of the shower and began toweling off. The last couple of days had been eventful to say the least and the hot shower had felt good on his sore muscles. _Hmm… sore muscles, that's new_, he thought.

He finished toweling off and looked around the bathroom for his clothes before realizing that he had left them in his room. He wrapped the towel around his waist and prayed that he wouldn't run into anyone in the hallway. Especially Jackie.

Silently, he padded down the hallway, clutching the towel to his body. As he laid his hand on his doorknob, he felt relieved that he had made it without being seen.

"Forget your clothes?"

The Doctor jumped at the question, nearly dropping the towel in his surprise. Spinning around on his heels, he came face to face with Rose who was smiling widely and very obviously amused at having found the Doctor in such a compromising and embarrassing position.

"Ahh… Y-yeah. Yes. Yes, I did," he stammered, "I guess I'll just be on my way now. You know, so I can get dressed."

He could feel the heat creep up his neck and into his face, which only got worse once he realized how scantily clad Rose was in her pajama shorts and tank top. He wanted nothing more than to grab her then and there and whisk her into his room.

She smiled mischievously as she closed the distance between them. Reaching up, she tangled her hands in his wet hair and brought his mouth down on hers for a slow and gentle kiss. The kiss took the Doctor by surprise, but he was soon returning it with intensity and urgency. Forgetting the towel entirely, he placed one hand on the small of her back, drawing her in closer, and the other in her hair. A moan escaped his lips as her tongue began darting in and out of his mouth before she finally pulled back. He immediately wanted to pull her back in for another, the taste of her still in his mouth; but before he could do anything, Rose sauntered away, turning to flash a cheeky grin at him over her shoulder before disappearing behind the bathroom door. He groaned in disappointment as he turned away and entered his room.

Laying in bed, Rose was all he could think about. He couldn't stop fantasizing about what may have happened if they had continued. Cursing his new human hormones and lack of superior Time Lord control, he scrubbed his hands roughly over his face, trying to drive the torturing images away.

A light knock on his door brought him back to reality. The door opened and Rose peeked in, "Hi," she greeted.

"Emm. Hi," he squeaked back.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course."

Rose slipped around the door and closed it quietly behind her. The Doctor sat up and shifted so that he sat up against the headboard. Wordlessly, Rose climbed into the bed and quickly snuggled up against the Doctor's side, her right hand laying over his single heart. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her and began playing with a stray lock of her hair.

"Please don't ever leave me," she finally whispered.

The Doctor squeezed her gently, "Rose, I could never leave you. I _never_ will. I promise." He kissed the top of her head before resting his cheek there. Wrapped safely in his arms, Rose quickly fell into a blissful sleep.

Despite being tired, the Doctor was unable to sleep himself. He was content just to lay there with Rose in his arms, listening to the patterns of her breathing. His mind swirled with all that had happened and he couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed of the way he acted. He had been so in control of his emotions and actions before; but found that the human hormones, mixed with the intense fear of losing Rose again, made it much harder to control himself. He vowed to himself and Rose that he would try harder from now on. He would be the man - the Time Lord - that he had been and the one she had fallen in love with.

* * *

Rose was woken by the morning sun. It took her a few minutes to take in her surroundings and realize that she had stayed the whole night in the Doctor's room. In fact, her head was using his chest as a pillow and his arms were wrapped around her. She lifted her head and looked at him. His eyes were open and he smiled warmly at her.

"'Morning," she said, moving away to stretch.

"Good morning!" The Doctor replied enthusiastically. Much too enthusiastically for the time.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked as she stood up and ran her hands through her hair to try to straighten it.

"Good. Great. Fantastic!" he lied. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Umm… well, we definitely need to get to Torchwood and fill out the paperwork for last night since we didn't do it right after…" The Doctor's face fell but she continued, "and Dad needs to see you again. He got your identification and story all set up. And after that, who knows?"

The Doctor nodded, unenthusiastically. "Well, I guess I'd better get ready then. It's a big day for me, finding out who I am and all," he said cheerfully.

"Guess so," Rose agreed with a smile as she left his room.

* * *

Rose finished getting ready and went downstairs to the kitchen where she knew the Doctor would be. As she entered, she stopped, surprised.

The Doctor stood, leaning against the kitchen counter, his long legs crossed. He held a cup in his hand and was chatting amiably with Jackie. What was more surprising was that he was in jeans and a white button up shirt with a red tie. Rose couldn't remember a time when he wasn't in either a suit or a pajama suit. She also couldn't remember a time when he looked so good.

When he saw Rose, he gave her his signature smile, the one he only used for her. His dark eyes crinkled slightly, his dimple flashed, and Rose went weak in the knees.


	10. Identity

"Bloody hell!" the Doctor exclaimed, frustrated, "what is this thing?" Running his hands through his hair, he circled the table looking at the alien item that had been eluding Torchwood diagnostics for weeks.

Rose stood off to the side, giving him the space he needed to think and pace. "Dunno, we've run every test we could think of on it but nothing obvious comes back."

The Doctor stood, hand scrubbing his face, "If I just had my sonic screwdriver," he grumbled.

"I know. I'm sorry. Can you make another one?"

"Maybe," the Doctor said absently as his hand now made its way to the back of his neck and began rubbing. It was a wonder the man had any hair left after the way he treated it when he was thinking or frustrated.

Rose decided that she couldn't take watching him in such a state any longer. She strode up to him and pulled his hand from his head and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Doctor, you'll figure it out. I know you will, you always do," she proclaimed confidently.

Her confidence in him and her use of his name had him overjoyed. Smiling widely, he grabbed her up in his arms and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Rose, how'd I get so lucky?"

She giggled as he placed a kiss on her forehead as he set her down. Once on her feet, she grabbed his tie and pulled him towards her, bringing his mouth down on hers. His arms immediately snaked around her waist and drew her in tighter as he deepened the kiss. Before long, they were completely unaware of where they were and so caught up in snogging that they never heard someone enter the lab.

"Ahem," Dan cleared his throat, annoyed.

Rose and the Doctor jumped apart, embarrassed.

"Oh, Dan. Hi," Rose said lamely, "I didn't hear you come in."

The Doctor stood with his legs spread and hands in his pockets, watching them but saying nothing.

"Obviously," Dan snapped as he walked over to the unidentified alien object. "Any ideas yet?" As he passed by the Doctor, Rose looked nervous as she eyed them, holding her breath in anticipation.

"Nothing new," the Doctor replied curtly.

"I thought you were supposed to be so-"

"I think we should go see Dad now, yeah?" Rose cut in as she grabbed the Doctor's arm and began pulling him away before things could get heated again. He just nodded and allowed her to pull him along.

* * *

Pete Tyler was waiting for them when they entered, "Ahh, Doctor, good morning."

"Morning, Pete," he replied, "So I hear you have my paperwork ready?"

"Yes, I do," Pete said as he stood from his desk and handed a small envelop to the Doctor.

The Doctor opened the envelope and removed a Torchwood issued badge with his picture and the name Alec Hardy. The Doctor raised an eyebrow as he complained, "Ugh, Alec Hardy? What happened to John Smith?"

"Well it wasn't very original, Doctor, so I made one up," Pete replied innocently.

"I don't like Alec. I never liked Alec," he whined. "Alec. _Alec._ Why do humans have to use first names so much? Why do people insist on doing that? If I look at you, you know I'm talking to you," he ranted as he looked to Rose for backup. Rose just burst out laughing. Confused, the Doctor looked between her and Pete who was now chuckling himself. "Wh-what's going on?" he asked.

Pete just handed a larger envelope to the Doctor, "everything you need's in there. Take a look at it and then we can work out your backstory so it matches."

The Doctor reached in and pulled a paper out that read _Birth Certificate_. He scanned the document and broke out in a huge smile as he saw the name John Smith. Another Torchwood ID with his picture and the name _Dr. John Smith_ confirmed his new identity.

"Sorry, Doctor," Rose apologized, "we couldn't help it. We had to have a little fun. Teach you to care about your identity next time and not just leave it up to others."

"Which brings up the next bit," Pete interrupted, "there's already a lot of chatter in the media about you so we have to get a backstory for you."

"Right," the Doctor agreed, thinking.

"I've already created parts of it. You have a Doctorate in Physics from the University of Edinburgh," Rose explained proudly with a large smile.

"Rose Tyler, you are brilliant!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"And your parents are John Smith and Donna Noble," she continued, pretending to ignore him, "You've worked for Torchwood for the past few years and helped stopped Lumic. After that, you were undercover so your whereabouts are top secret."

"Brilliant, Rose. Just... brilliant!" he said beaming at her.

"Well, then. That about covers it I think. Any other requests for information will be directed to Torchwood and decided on a case to case basis," Pete concluded.

"Right. Great. Thanks, Pete," the Doctor said, shaking his hand before taking Rose's hand and leaving the office.

* * *

"What are you going to do now?" Rose asked once they were in the hall.

"Well, I think I need a break from that object. So I'm going to go to storage and see what kinds of alien tech you've got. Maybe something in there can help."

"Good idea. I don't think I'd be much help to you so I'll just go back to the lab then. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"I'll see you later, Rose Tyler," he said softly as he planted a kiss on her lips and walked off.

She could never explain it, but there was something about the way he said her name. The way he imbued it with such feeling, desire, warmth, love; always sent a warm rush through her body. How he could bare his soul in just a few short syllables, Rose would never know; but she would also never get tired of hearing them.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the name change. I hope it didn't cause too much confusion but I just wanted to make sure this was completely private. I always worry about posting things online and having it linked back. You just never know...**

**Not sure if you all noticed but I stole a bit from Broadchurch. I just thought it was funny and sounded like something the Doctor might say! Hope you enjoyed it :)**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! You guys are great!**


	11. Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number

**A/N: HUGE thank you to all who have reviewed! Your comments have all been so great and the encouragement you've left has been much appreciated. I am so glad you are enjoying it so far! Your fantastic reviews keep me going :)**

* * *

Rose walked into the lab and was quite disappointed that Dan was the only other one there. She had hoped some of the other team members would be there to act as a buffer as she wasn't ready to face Dan yet after last night's incident. Before she could sneak away unnoticed, Dan turned and spotted her but quickly went back to his computer screen.

"Hi," Rose greeted awkwardly.

"Hey," Dan replied without looking up.

Rose went to another computer and sat down, intending to write up the report from last night's activities.

Dan looked up and looked around, confused, "No alien boy?"

Rose shot him a look that clearly said _don't even start_ and went back to her computer screen.

"So where is the martian then? I haven't seen you two apart since he got here, having problems already?" Dan pried.

"First off, he's not an alien boy or martian, he's the Doctor. Secondly, our private life is none of your business but we're fine. He's just looking for some tech in storage that might be helpful for that thing," she huffed.

"Whatever," Dan retorted. "I just don't understand it. You could have anyone you wanted but you chose an alien. A _much_ older alien."

Rose rolled her eyes, he didn't even know the half of the _older_ part. "Shut it, Dan. He's not that much older than me."

"But why him?" Dan pressed.

"Because… because he's the Doctor. You couldn't imagine the things we saw and did together. All the times he saved me and the universe. He was never even thanked and yet he kept going. Kept risking his life for others; always putting others first. He's amazing and wonderful and _brilliant_ and I love him," Rose explained as if it were obvious.

Now it was Dan's turn to roll his eyes, "From what I've heard, this is not the real Doctor, just a copy. You don't even know him. I just hope he doesn't end up hurting you or breaking your heart like the last one did," he shot.

"He won't," was all Rose could reply. The truth was, Dan was sort of right. He was a copy and she didn't exactly know him. She was trying to get over the confusion of his identity and just accept him as the Doctor; but deep down she worried that if he was just like the Doctor, what would that mean for them? The Doctor didn't do domestics and if this one was the same, it was only a matter of time before he got bored of it all, of her, and left.

Rose didn't think she would ever recover if she lost him again. She had already watched him die for her and regenerate. Then she lost him at Canary Wharf and spent months crying before building the dimension canon to get back to him. She had jumped from parallel to parallel until she finally found the right one, only to find out he had died because of his grief over losing her. After setting things right with the fabulous Donna, she was finally reunited with him; this time just in time to watch him shot by a Dalek right in front of her. She had felt an extreme sense of despair and grief as she watched him dying for a second time. When he didn't completely regenerate, she had felt like everything was right in the world; they would finally have their forever. Then he went and left her on that beach again with a consolation prize - his clone. No, she definitely wouldn't be able to take being left again and maybe Dan had a point. Maybe she needed to make sure he was really going to stay before she allowed her heart to carry get too carried away.

* * *

The Doctor spent the whole rest of the day in storage looking for items he could use for his sonic screwdriver. All he needed was the screwdriver and then he could analyze what that object was. He completely lost track of time and it wasn't until Rose came in that he realized how long he had been in there.

"Did'ya find anything useful?" Rose asked curiously.

"Yu_p_," the Doctor said proudly, popping the p in his usual way and grinning.

"Can I see it?"

"Not yet. It's a surprise. I'm not done yet," he explained.

Rose sighed, "Ok, but it's time to go home now, yeah?." The Doctor's stomach growled quite loudly and he looked embarrassed, "Did you stay here all day?"

The Doctor replied sheepishly, "Yeah. Sorta lost track of time."

"You didn't even stop to eat lunch?" Rose asked.

"Umm… no. I'm not quite used to this human thing. I never had to eat this often before." His stomach growled again, "bloody human body," he grumbled.

"Well you gotta eat. Come on, let's go home and get you some food," she said as she took hold of his hand and pulled him away from the alien tech that had fascinated him all day.

* * *

On the way home, they stopped at the store to pick up a few items for dinner. As they were at the checkout, the Doctor suddenly let out a loud chuckle.

"Rose! Rose, look at this!" he exclaimed as he shoved a tabloid paper in her face.

She pulled back quickly and then took hold of the magazine. The front cover had a picture of her and the Doctor from the first day at the beach, they were walking hand in hand down the road. The headline read _Vitex Heiress Seen With Mystery Man._

"That's not even the best part!" the Doctor said excitedly as he took it back and flipped a few pages to the article which read.

_Vitex heiress, Rose Tyler, was seen recently with a mystery man. This man was_

_described as being tall and thin, with really great hair, and overall quite attractive;_

_although he appeared several years her senior. Witnesses say that things_

_seemed quite serious between the couple who were seen frequently holding_

_hands and who spent a night in a hotel room together. We have not yet been able_

_to confirm who this man is, how long they have been together, or how they met but_

_there has already been a growing interest in this mystery man with new fan clubs_

_cropping up on the internet dedicated to finding out every detail._

Rose looked up from the article to see the Doctor standing before her with a huge grin on his face. "Really great hair," he boasted.

Rose shook her head, trying to hold back a smile as she thought, _yes, really, really great hair_. "Yeah it's ok," she said nonchalantly.

The Doctor was unfazed, "and _overall quite attractive_," he quoted, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"And several years her senior," Rose jested.

The Doctor frowned slightly, "Oi! I'm not that much older," he protested.

Rose laughed, "Well, that's debatable. Are you still over 900 years old or are you only 4 days old? Or are you in your 30s... or 40s?"

Now the Doctor was really frowning as he thought, "I don't know really," he admitted, shrugging.

Rose felt bad for having brought it up. Clearly he was much more touchy about his age now that he was part human. Maybe it was the extra Donna bit. "Doctor," she said touching his arm lightly, "don't worry about it. It really doesn't matter either way."

"I guess you're right," he conceded. A slow grin broke out as he said happily, "I've still got fan clubs anyway!"

Rose bit back a grin and playfully punched him on the arm as she walked away.


End file.
